10m 500mW WSPR (Saturday)

My beacon was turned on about 1645z.

UPDATE 1940z:  Spotted by 20 stations.

6m 5W FT8 (Saturday)

 At about 1645z, I QSYed to 6m QRP FT8.

UPDATE 1650z:  Spotted by 3 English stations.

10m 4W FT8 (Saturday)

My gear was turned on  late morning.

UPDATE 1653z: So far, spotted by 519 stations today. See map. Now QSYed to 6m.

Sunspots - Saturday November 15th

 Solar flux is 145 and the SSN 114.  A=5 and K=1.

Frontline for Times Radio

This is a YouTube channel I look at quite often for world news. They frequently interview some important people on the world stage. 

As I often say, it is important to get your news from multiple sources to minimise bias.

CB and amateur radio

It is a while since I listened on 11m CB, but in the past the CB band was busy when the 10m amateur band appeared to be dead. 

It is my view that at some point in the future there will be a merging of amateur radio and CB. I have come across an online SDR which monitors the CB band from the UK.

10m 4W FT8 (Friday)

My gear has been on since breakfast.

UPDATE 1915z: So far, 594 spots of me.

Sunspots - Friday November 14th

 Solar flux is 156 and the SSN 104. A=59 and K=1.

Born in a stately home!

After WW2 Flete House in Devon was a nursing home. This is where I was born. At the time we lived in a council house.

4m transverter

 This was designed and built some years ago and is on my main website.  It was also in GQRP SPRAT.

Old photo

The validity of this photo is not known. I first saw it well before AI!  If correct, it is probably a photo of a human being born in the 1700s

Working Antarctica

 This may be a rare chance to work a station in Antarctica although you might have to be quick as I think the station is only active for a few days.

Soham

 Soham is a fenland town about 8km from our village. This was a view earlier with the church behind the trees.

Autumn in our village

Many trees in our village have lost their leaves until the spring when new buds will form and the cycles go on as they have for millions of years.

70cm FT8

 

Last evening 34 stations were spotted in the activity contest on 70cm FT8. See map. This is typical . Amazing. 

Sunspots - Thursday November 13th

 Solar flux is 163 and the SSN 150. A=127 and K=6.

70cm FT8 activity contest (Wednesday)

This evening is the 70cm FT8 activity contest organised by the RSGB. I think the contest in Europe starts earlier.

UPDATE 1813z: Already spotted 8 stations with the furthest PA2WDR (280km). My antenna is just the 144MHz big-wheel omni.

UPDATE  1946z:  29 stations spotted with the most distant EI8KD (518km). See map,

UPDATE 2047z: 9 stations spotted my 10W 70cm FT8 with the furthest PI4VPO (337km). Not bad for a 144MHz omni antenna!

More on solid state batteries for electric cars

Last week I mentioned solid state batteries. 

For years, we have heard a lot of hype about these that promise lower costs, greater range and no rare earths. 

It would appear we are now getting closer. I saw this video which compares various approaches.

IC-705 Portable?

If I was ICOM develepment now I would be working on a true handheld version of the IC-705. They have the electronics, so just need to re-develop the mechanics. There has never been a decent replacement of the FT817 by Yaesu.

Should such a product come to market, ICOM could make a killing.

New DX Explorer video

 

There is new video on the PY2OHH inspired Pititico transceiver on the DX Explorer YouTube channel.

The Pititico is a really simple 1 transistor transceiver.

See https://yo6dxe.com .

Christmas cactus

 

This always starts to flower about now. We put it in our hallway yesterday.

Sunspots - Wednesday November 12th

 Solar flux is 168 and the SSN 131. A=7 and K=8.

6m 5W FT8 (Tuesday)

To finish today, I went on 6m 5W FT8  with the V2000 vertical omni antenna.

UPDATE 1904z:   Just the usual English spots.

2m 10mW FT8 (Tuesday)

After going QRT on 10m I went to 2m 10mW FT8  using to big-wheel omni antenna. Although barely visible on the grabber at G0LRD (25km) the other side of Cambridge, it was decoded.

What can you believe?

If you look on YouTube you could believe anything.

Many of the videos are now created using AI, so the only thing you can be sure of is "this could be incorrect". It is getting harder and harder to tell what is real and what is fake. 

Unless you are absolutely sure it is safer to assume everything is fake!

Son's 1998 prank

Recently, quite by accident, I found an old letter supposed to have been written by the editor of RSGB RadCom inviting me to write a series of articles. I recall being very flattered at the time and boasting to my family.

Then the boys told me it was an elaborate hoax!! They made a very convincing letter as I was quite taken in!

Sunspots - Tuesday November 11th

 Solar flux is 180 and the SSN 128. A=14 and K=1.

QSL cards

In recent years I have not sent out many QSL cards, but I have received several recently by email. 

Most have been useless as the date is shown as 0000.00.00 which must be an error as in this example. I am happy to confirm the contact as long as the details are correct, not otherwise. 

I think these are sent out by email when the amateur subscribes.

10mW 10m FT8 (Tuesday)

Today, I am on 10m FT8 with 10mW to see how it goes. The gear was turned on about 0945z.

UPDATE 1020z:  No TX spots. It is interesting that I am receiving stations from all over the planet. This implies they could run 15dB less power and still be copied if the attenuator was not there. I guess at 10mW I am more likely to be crushed by a stronger station or be below their noise floor.

UPDATE 1125z:  Spots by YL3NF (1567km) and IZ0EWJ (1546km) . Even 10mW FT8 works! I think 5W is far easier, but I shall leave it at 10mW all day.

UPDATE 1420z:  Spotted by 7 stations when I was running 10mW FT8 today.

UPDATE 1555z:  Spotted by 9 stations today with my 10mW FT8 TX. See map. QRT soon.

Is Russia heading for recession?

With oil prices falling and increasing sanctions causing China and India to think twice before buying Russian oil (its major export) there is a danger of the Russian economy being in serious trouble.

Solid state batteries

Most agree that electric cars are not there yet. 

Early adopters have to contend with lithium-ion batteries, where lithium is in short supply (and often mined by children), limited range, high prices and long charging times.

If ranges were significantly improved, charging would be needed less often.  Also price puts many off currently. One answer that always seems to be "just around the corner" are solid state batteries. These promise greater ranges, lower prices and no rare materials.

These seem nearly there, but not quite. With all the research it is likely this will come, but when?

Sunspots- Monday November 10th

 Solar flux is 176 and the SSN 126.  A=8 and K=2.

Monday plans

At the moment I am not sure about Monday. I may try 23cm beacon hunting with my SDR receiver or even lower power on 10m FT8. If there is thunder around I may just stay off the air.

Spitting Image

 This was originally on terrestrial television, but is now on YouTube.  I imagine they avoid some of the censorship this way. 

50mW 10m FT8 (Sunday)

Just for fun, I am trying 10m 50mW FT8 with the IC-705 with the attenuator right on the output (see photo).  Almost immediately it was received by an IT9 over 2000km. 

I have used the GE3 prefix to distinguish the 50mW signals.

UPDATE 1304z:  59 stations have spotted my 10m 50mW FT8 today. Furthest is OX3HI (3173km).

UPDATE 1449z:   84 stations spotting me. Nothing from the USA or Canada yet.

UPDATE 2012z:   97 stations have spotted me with the furthest KW7MM (8476km) in Arizona. See map.

Sunspots - Sunday November 9th

 Solar flux is 172 and the SSN 107. A=36 and K=2.

Day off the radio?

 Today, I shall probably not go on the radio. On Sunday I may give 10m FT8 a try with 50mW.

Obscene?

I have just heard that the richest man in the world has just got a salary package that could be worth an extra $1trillion. 

When some in the world are starving, I find this obscene. Meanwhile the poor get even poorer. 

Some advert for democracy - NOT.

Web SDRs

There are quite a few SDRs (software defined radios) connected to the internet often with extensions so you can decode your favourite modes. It is fun to take a listen to these.  

I was listening on 10m FT8 via http://sdr.gb0snb.com:8073/ which uses an active loop by George Smart M1GEO called the Wellgood loop. See https://www.george-smart.co.uk/projects/wellgood-loop/ .

A search on Google or similar will produce a list. of webSDRs.  Alternatively see https://rsgb.org/main/operating/web-sdr-receiver/.

Sunspots - Saturday November 8th

 Solar flux is 166 and the SSN 133. A= 32 and K=5.

USA government shutdown

Not being a politician, I am unclear about the government shutdown in the USA, but it must be costing a lot to the USA economy. I can see this becoming a massive issue.

10m 500mW FT8 (Friday)

Without an external attenuator, 500mW FT8 is the lowest power I can run from my IC-705. It was turned on at about 0945z.

UPDATE 1036z: So far, spotted by 83 stations. It is still too easy!! Furthest is RN4WA (3365km).

UPDATE 1433z: 231 stations have spotted me including VO1CH (3737km).  See map. I think I'll stick with 500mW today, but might try 50mW 10m FT8 another day. At 500mW FT8, I have no problem at all getting lots of spots on 10m. Furthest is a spot by HZ1BQ (4465km).

UPDATE 1640z:  250 stations have spotted my 10m 500mW FT8. Furthest is W4SPF (7202km).

UPDATE 1708z: QRT.

2m activity contest last Tuesday

Every month, despite my poor voice I go on the 2m and 70cm activity contests (UKAC) organised by the RSGB. It may be me, but I am sense there are fewer people taking part. 

Perhaps it is me, but maybe the higher local noise floors in urban areas are making it harder for QRP stations. Certainly, I generally work fewer 2m stations, whereas I don't have the same problem on 70cm. in fact I usually work more now on 70cm SSB!

Where I was spotted with 2m 10W SSB to the big-wheel omni antenna

On FT8 with half the power I am regularly spotted on 2m in GI and EI at well over 400km. It seems to me that on 2m FT8 it is far easier.

Sunspots - Friday November 7th

Solar flux is 163 and the SSN 104.  A=43 and K=5. 

2m 5W FT8 (Thursday)

 My 2m FT8 gear was turned on at about 1820z.

UPDATE 1857z: So far, 11 spots of me with furthest GI6ATZ (479km).

UPDATE 1922z:  QRT.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Thursday)

My beacon was turned on just before lunch.

UPDATE 1444z:  No spots.

6m 5W FT8 (Thursday)

My gear was turned on at about 1145z.

UPDATE 1745z:  16 stations have spotted me.  All are in the British Isles.  See  map.

The Tenner QRP CW transceiver

This was a 500mW CW transceiver that I designed and built some years ago. 

It is also on my website. 

It has worked plenty of DX.

FTX-1 and IC-705 head to head

In the end, if you are choosing between these two transceivers, it will be a personal decision based on the way you operate. 

Another factor is price with the IC705 considerably less expensive than the FTX-1 in the UK. In this video, both are compared. The IC-705 has more features built in.

Personally, I would not pay the extra for the FTX-1.  If it was the same price as the IC-705 it might be a harder decision!

Village centre?

In our village, Burwell, we have no real village centre, with shops in various places. 

Perhaps the village centre could be considered as near our local co-op shop where there are a few shops together as in the photo.